3 times Axar Patel stepped up for India in Ravindra Jadeja's absence

Axar Patel made his international debut for India back in 2014 in an ODI against Bangladesh. He had a breakthrough season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) while playing for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) that year. Patel's impressive domestic record as an all-rounder also played a vital role in his maiden national call-up.

Over the last nine years, Patel has been in and out of the Indian team. He has been a regular member of the Indian team across all three formats of late, but there was a time when Patel lost his place in the Indian team because he could not contribute much in the batting department.

While Axar Patel did a decent job with the ball, he could not match his domestic cricket performances in the batting department at the international level. Ravindra Jadeja's presence ensured that Patel was not the first-choice left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder of the Indian team. The selectors needed a backup for Jadeja, and they tried Krunal Pandya in that role for some time.

Pandya failed to cement his place in the Indian team as well, and Patel's recent batting performances seem to have shut the doors for the other left-arm spin-bowling all-rounders.

In this listicle now, we will look at the three recent batting performances from Axar Patel, where he stepped up and delivered the goods for the Indian team in Ravindra Jadeja's absence.

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#1 Axar Patel's best T20I knock - 65 (31) vs. Sri Lanka, 2023

Axar Patel played the best knock by an Indian at number 7 in T20Is yesterday (Image: BCCI)

Axar Patel played one of the best counter-attacking T20I innings ever against Sri Lanka at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Thursday. The Indian all-rounder came out to bat in the middle when the Men in Blue were down to 57/5 in the 10th over while chasing a 207-run target.

Although the chances of winning seemed negligible, Patel gave his 100 percent and smashed a 20-ball half-century. He ended with 65 runs off 31 balls, smacking three fours and six maximums. India lost the match by only 16 runs in the end.

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#2 Axar Patel's best ODI knock - 64*(35) vs. West Indies, 2022

While Patel could not inspire Team India to a win in the aforementioned match against Sri Lanka, he guided the Men in Blue to an incredible victory against the West Indies last year in an ODI at Port of Spain.

India were 256/6 after 44.1 overs while chasing 312 runs for a win. Shardul Thakur soon lost his wicket after scoring three runs off six balls as Axar was only left with tail-enders to chase the target.

The Indian all-rounder did not give up and smacked a 35-ball 64* to help India win the match. He whacked three fours and five sixes as India won the match by two wickets with two balls to spare.

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#3 Another effort in a losing cause - 56 (56) vs. Bangladesh, 2022

During the second ODI of the recently-concluded series against Bangladesh, Axar Patel aggregated 56 runs off 56 balls and added 107 runs for the fifth wicket with Shreyas Iyer. India were reduced to 65/4 in a run-chase of 272 runs.

Patel hit two fours and three sixes in his knock, keeping India's hopes alive. Although India lost the match by five runs, Patel proved his worth as an all-rounder in Ravindra Jadeja's absence.